How and why Trump has struggled in dealing with the Epstein files

(NPR)-snip- Polling has shown that neither Trump's base nor the public writ large is very satisfied with the amount of information released or how Trump's administration is handling it, though Trump's approval with Republicans remains stable.

All of it represents an ironic turn for Trump. His political career was born out of the false birther conspiracy, and he has peddled lots of others for years, stoking a distrust in expertise and the government to help fuel his runs for office.

But now, he is the government — and dealing with a story in which conclusions were already drawn by many in his base that have roots in the QAnon movement that there is a satanic cabal of high-profile people in government, who are also pedophiles.

In many ways, the Epstein files are a self-created perfect storm, and now it's blowing back.

https://www.npr.org/2025/07/25/nx-s1-5479144/trump-epstein-files-politics-maga